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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627237">an invisible string tying you to me (rejanis timeline)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/minecroft/pseuds/minecroft'>minecroft</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Happy Ending, Some angst, idk why Damien doesn't have a character tag, lotsa fluff bc it's what we deserve, rejanis are the only thing inspiring me to write at this point</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:48:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/minecroft/pseuds/minecroft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>basically my personal rejanis timeline (both before and after the events of the musical), but in prose form. definitely not my best work, but it didn't really go through that much editing (just typos, grammar and a few tweaks really). anyways, enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cady Heron/Aaron Samuels, Karen Smith/Gretchen Wieners, Regina George/Janis Sarkisian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>an invisible string tying you to me (rejanis timeline)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Regina George has always been a popular girl. but something she wasn't counting on was meeting Janis Sarkisian in middle school. she wasn't counting on meeting someone who she clicked with so effortlessly. soon enough they'd spend every minute of every day together, sneaking in to 15+ movies, having sleepovers. this is the last time in years either of them will be happy.</p>
<p>one day Regina grows confused at how she gets giddy every time Janis smiles at her or calls her "Reggie". how her favourite feeling is that of making Janis laugh so hard she doubles over with cramps. that night she spends hours locked in her room crying as she realises she likes girls. poor 13 year old Regina doesn't know why she feels so disgusted and repulsed towards herself because of it. she projects onto Janis and pushes her away because she thinks it will fix everything. but instead, she ends up hurting the person she cares most about, to the point where Janis goes to art therapy for a year and doesn't show face at school once. </p>
<p>Regina micromanages every aspect of her life as she forces herself to be what she thinks she's supposed to be. she goes into high school hellbent on being three things: straight, sexy, and popular. little does everyone else know, she's turning into an empty shell of a human being, hyper focused on lbs and calories and followers and reputation and power. </p>
<p>both girls work through pain and guilt and torment alone, wanting nothing more but to be in each other's lives again, but telling themselves it's a dead cause. Regina mentally and physically drains herself, beating herself up for ruining any chance she had at happiness, sending herself further down a spiral of self-hatred. she learns of Janis' new public opinion of her. her last glimmer of hope disappears.</p>
<p>there's such an intensity, a rawness, a complexity to the anger they feel towards each other. sometimes they make eye contact passing each other in the hall and it tears them up inside. </p>
<p>when Cady moves to Northshore High, Janis finally sees an opportunity to make Regina feel the same pain she felt, the pain of having her life derailed and ruined. but we all know that plan ends up going wrong and her hatred grows as Regina joins in on the revenge game. Janis preaches to the whole female student body. Regina watches as Janis is confident and outspoken in who she is; the complete opposite of her. her mocking voice blurts out demeaning lines, because that's all she can do at this point. Janis ignores her. Regina sees how far she's fallen. </p>
<p>a few hours later, Janis watches as Regina (who is filled to the brim with emotion and, quite frankly, in need of a moment to herself) stomps out into the street, screeching obscenities at Cady. she watches her get hit by a bus. her stomach drops as she watches someone start chest compressions on Regina's lifeless body. for a solid minute she believes she might never get the chance to reconcile with the one person she always wanted to reconcile with. she almost screams at the thought that Regina might be gone forever. </p>
<p>Janis becomes numb after Regina's accident. Damien doesn't know what to do as she gets less and less responsive. all she does these days is paint; but with a very un-Janis amount of pink. </p>
<p>Regina wakes up in a hospital bed, unable to move through the combination of pain and meds. she battles drug-induced sleep because all it does is remind her of the nothingness of dying for even a brief few seconds and how nothing scares her more. Regina's days blur together, and she barely remembers all the visits from her mom and Kylie and Gretchen and Karen. all she feels is guilt. Regina knows she could have died an awful, empty, broken person. </p>
<p>Janis leaves the house for the first time in weeks and doesn't tell anyone. she refuses to look up from the ground as she heads to the hospital. for the last few weeks she's been eavesdropping when people talk about Regina's state, just to know if she's okay. she breaks instantly at the sight of an unconscious Regina lying in a hospital bed, collapsing into the chair next to her, eyes welling up as she just looks. she knows how lucky Regina was to survive. and if she hadn't, Janis never would have forgiven herself for not reaching out. she tenderly holds Regina's hand, muttering apologies and feelings under her breath, knowing full well that she can't hear her. after ten minutes of waiting for the tears to end and rubbing circles into the back of the blonde's hand, Janis silently gets up and leaves. </p>
<p>Regina wakes up confused, as she sees a card that wasn't there before on the bedside table. she sees the strokes of paint on the front and knows who it's from. </p>
<p>the next few months are filled with apologies, reconciliation, and reform, as Janis begins to slowly open up to new human connections. she gives Gretchen advice on her feelings for Karen, making sure she doesn't make the mistake of taking people for granted. Janis realises she never saw Regina as someone untouchable, even when she swore that was why she hated her. she realises she's always needed Regina in her life. </p>
<p>she hates that that's how she feels. </p>
<p>seemingly no time later, Janis is at the spring fling, listening to Cady tell her and Damien about her conversation with Regina in the bathroom. it leaves her in utter disbelief. she sets her heart on reconciling with Regina, and soon, because if she doesn't, it'll continue to tear her up inside. </p>
<p>Regina (trying to find a comfortable way to lean against the wall in her brace) watches Janis from the corner of the gymnasium, debating whether to talk to her. she steps outside for fresh air and a break from the crowds, and Regina follows. this is the first time they've talked alone for years. Regina doesn't know where to start, words barely falling out of her lips. Janis envelops her in a bear hug, soothing her with a soft "I know." </p>
<p>in reality, Janis doesn't know, but she needs to start somewhere. she needs to feel Regina in her arms again, her head resting on the blonde's like when they were in middle school. </p>
<p>Regina steps back and, taking a deep breath, collects her thoughts to try and summarise the utter torture the past few years have brought upon her (and how that might have caused her to bring similar torture upon Janis). a tear rolls down her cheek through the apology, the explanation, the admittance. </p>
<p>Janis stands and listens, silent, studying the girl in front of her. as Regina becomes a sobbing mess in front of her, and Janis takes her in her arms again, she realises just how much she doesn't know. from that moment on, it becomes her mission to know Regina George. the real Regina George. </p>
<p>the two spend the summer awkwardly stepping around each other. their friends watch as if a bomb could detonate at any moment. they both make the best effort they can, but they're scared and neither of them are good at words. sometimes they say things they both know are low blows. space dykes. kalteen bars. they start screaming at each other for weeks, a result of years of built up frustration with no communication. often, their friends get caught in the midst of their screaming matches, leaving them to intervene. </p>
<p>in a matter of weeks, the screaming turns into crying. Janis and Regina spend saturday nights in each others arms, watching movies but not really paying attention. they spend hours crying and apologising over and over, just to make sure the other has forgiven them, even though they already know the answer. Saturday night becomes theirs to spend; to repair what they'd broken years before. </p>
<p>weeks turn into months. pool parties, movie nights, birthdays, they all give opportunity for conversation. Janis and Regina get closer as they spend those countless outings together (a lot of those circumstances probably set up by Damien and Karen). they learn things they didn't know about each other before, like how Janis wins at art shows all the time (apparently, because it's not sports, nobody talks about it. the other girl finds this hard to believe); Regina reveals that she plays volleyball on Sundays, and Janis suggests that she bug the school until they have a school volleyball team. they talk about nothing and everything, laughing and teasing each other. it's the closest thing to what they used to have. </p>
<p>their dance between rivalry and friendship becomes a dance between friendship and something more. they've both felt something stronger for a while, but neither could quite out a finger on it. they were meant to be friends. neither of them planned it like this. but you can't help who you fall in love with. </p>
<p>they go back to school for senior year, ready to make it count. and it does. </p>
<p>their first kiss is on a Thursday fall evening, as they sit on a blanket in a flower field, watching the sunset with their friends. Regina is leaning against Janis, both resting their backs against a tree. Regina shivers as a cold breeze passes over them, a reminder that the last days of fall are ticking away before winter comes. Regina has always hated the last few days of November for that. before she knows it, she's wearing Janis' denim jacket, which is even more oversized for her than for Janis. </p>
<p>she looks up and she sees this person she couldn't be happier to have back in her life. to be this close to. this person who visited her in hospital, who accepted her apologies in a heartbeat, who would smile when she laughed like it was her favourite song. this person who she was nestled next to, whose eyes seemed glued to the 5pm sunset, who seemed unbothered by the cold, even as she was left in her t-shirt. this person who gave her her best days and was there for her worst. who she could call and she'd be there on her porch 10 minutes later. </p>
<p>all this she sees in a split second, and as Janis turns her head towards her, noticing her glance, Regina shuts out her rationality and kisses her. it's light and delicate, like someone dipping their toe in the water to test it. her eyelids flutter open as she pulls back, and sees Janis' eyes looking back at her. this is the first time Regina hasn't been able to read her expression in a while. </p>
<p>she worries that she's made a mistake, but before she can backtrack and apologise, Janis' hand is cupping her cheek and they're kissing again. her mind can barely register the rest of the group trying to contain their squeals (see: trying), because holy shit, she's kissing Janis Sarkisian. her stomach is doing backflips, and Janis' skin against hers feels electric, but all of it feels… right. </p>
<p>when they pull apart after what seems like a lifetime, Regina swears the tips of Janis' ears have a pink tinge. brown eyes meet blue, and both of them smile softly. </p>
<p>they have a lot to figure out from there, but they get there eventually. learning to live in the moment and not overthink is difficult for both girls, but it gets easier with time. so does communication. </p>
<p>now, they can't imagine how they'd react if they could go back to that day and tell them what happens next. </p>
<p>how they continue to be there for each other through thick and thin. how they spend countless all nighters together, studying for finals and sipping from each other's coffee. how when they start going on dates, they have to make sure their friends don't follow them ("it's because we care!"). how they consummate their relationship after a pool party at Regina's place. how they keep Saturday night to themselves. how they graduate hand in hand. </p>
<p>they go to universities that let them stay in each other's dorms when the day ends. they stay in touch with their friends, even as Cady, Aaron and Gretchen are attending universities on the opposite coast. </p>
<p>they get a New York apartment together after graduating university. they get a cat which Janis names Bastard ("it's descriptive!"). they go grocery shopping and go on spontaneous road trips and soak in every second of it. </p>
<p>the gang reunites (they've all been busy sorting out housing and jobs and what the FUCK are bills?) at a Christmas party at the Weiners mansion, and they're all there when Gretchen surprises Karen with a proposal. </p>
<p>they all go out for dinner whenever Damien has a new boyfriend, because they all insist on meeting him. </p>
<p>Cady and Aaron are already teaching at MIT.</p>
<p>Regina finding a passion for music, even though she majored in business studies. Janis spending countless hours listening to Regina tinker around on the piano as she writes her next song. it's calming. soon, they're a musical duo, putting out music and getting fans and making their families proud. </p>
<p>Gretchen and Karen getting married, followed by Cady and Aaron's engagement, then Damien having a relationship last more than a year, and everyone being there for the birth of Karen and Gretchen's son. Regina, the godmother, names him Eric. she knows that's Gretchen's favourite prince. </p>
<p>Janis planning the perfect proposal for months. driving Regina to the park they used to play in as kids. sitting next to her on a bench, looking at her face illuminated by a full moon (poetically reminiscent of the night they reconciled), wondering how she got so lucky. getting off the bench and kneeling down, removing the satin box from the pocket of her varsity jacket from NSHS that somehow still fits. there's no speech. she knows all Regina needs is a smile to know what she's asking. the blonde squeals a yes and leaps into a hug. they cling onto each other like it's all they'll ever need. </p>
<p>their younger selves would be stunned at the future that lies ahead of them. a three-story house. the wedding of their dreams. a daughter named Rosa (after both Diaz and Parks). </p>
<p>now, they wish they could go back and tell their younger selves: it's going to be okay. I promise. </p>
<p>you'll be happy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey! thanks so much for reading. if you liked it, please don't hesitate to leave kudos and/or a comment! have a great day :) 💕</p></blockquote></div></div>
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